Excess Death Rates by State During the COVID-19 Pandemic: United States, 2020-2023

• Published in: American journal of public health (1971) 2024-09, Vol.114 (9), p.882-891
• Main Authors: Woolf, Steven H, Lee, Jong Hyung, Chapman, Derek A, Sabo, Roy T, Zimmerman, Emily
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Censuses; COVID-19; COVID-19 vaccines; Death; Death & dying; Disease control; Fatalities; Governors; Immunization; Legislatures; Mortality; Mortality rates; Pandemics; Partisanship; Representation; Representations; State government; State legislatures; States
• ISSN: 0090-0036
• DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2024.307731)

Objectives. To estimate state-level excess death rates during 2020 to 2023 and examine differences by region and partisan orientation. Methods. We modeled death and population counts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to estimate excess death rates for the United States, 9 census divisions, and 50 states. We compared excess death rates for states with different partisan orientations, measured by the party of the seated governor and the level of partisan representation in state legislatures. Results. The United States experienced 1 277 697 excess deaths between March 2020 and July 2023. Almost 90% of these deaths were attributed to COVID-19, and 51.5% occurred after vaccines were available. The highest excess death rates first occurred in the Northeast and then shifted to the South and Mountain states. Between weeks ending June 20, 2020, through March 19, 2022, excess death rates were higher in states with Republican governors and greater Republican representation in state legislatures. Conclusions. Excess death rates during the COVID-19 pandemic varied considerably across the US states and were associated with partisan representation in state government, although the influence of confounding variables cannot be excluded.